September 13th, 2020 – the sky is muffled, blurred by the recent smoke crawling it’s way up from below our Canadian Border to marry the seasonal blanket of fog. Even through the haze visibility is better than one may expect as our passengers set out on the Marauder IV into the haunting chill of early fall. Near glassy waters in the harbor set the pace for the group as they trek out towards more open water towards the east.
WHOOSH – suddenly our guest catch sight of their ‘quarry’ as a blast of hot air breaks the top of the water. A male Orca dips up to the surface to grab a breath and take a look around. The game is afoot – prey darts underneath the surface of the water and he’s got some fish to fry.
In another spectacular moment our crew and passengers realize he was not alone. A hunting party is out and about, racing beneath the fog, smoke, and rippling ocean, scrambling to catch what prey they can while the shoals are abundant. A calm ocean and insulating atmosphere lend an intense quality to the interactions happening above and below the line of sight.
What an incredible thing to witness on a day many would hesitate to venture out in!